Meditation: Because it’s cool to hang out with your soul.featured

Happy New Year & New You! Hopefully the end of 2018 & the beginning of 2019 has treated you well!

If you’re like most people, and I imagine that you are or else you might be a robot, at some point in your life you have experienced stress; at all levels (high & low), from all the things throughout your inner circle, and with full throttle fervent emotions. From the situations you experience in your personal and professional lives, to the people that you interact with, or even from the expectations you’ve placed upon yourself, there are various forms of stress that we encounter, and it escapes no one. A lot of people handle their stress by wrapping it up into an imaginary ball and placing it upon their shoulders in the middle of their back for safe keeping. Leaning too far to the left or right moves the ball from the middle position and overpowers the weight to one side. The individual is forced to find a way to successfully stay balanced so not as to topple over and collapse, regardless as to how much bigger the ball continues to grow.

Coexisting as an endless burden, the stress is specifically placed on the body as a constant reminder to ‘do better’, ‘push harder’, and ‘rise above’ current problems. As human beings we innately and inherently believe that this teeter-tottering of destructive behavior and self-critical habit will help us achieve greatness and succeed in our endeavors. While some may feel that they excel better under stress and pressure, the soul and spirit end up paying the price. How each of us handles our stressors is critical to the survival of our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. It is important to remember that you have the freedom to make mistakes, fall down, get back up, dust yourself off, and try again. Do not ever let anyone tell you differently. Your light is here for a purpose.

Many folks try various ways to reduce and relieve stress. Whether it’s through exercising at the gym, weight lifting, yoga, reading, traveling, or through video games, it is important to find something that works for you and your health. It’s unfortunate, but sadly our fairy godmothers refuse to poof their way into our present existence to remove this abundant stress from our lives. It’s our own responsibility to find our way to Neverland!

If there is but one recommendation that I have for you to try so that you can relieve stress it would be to try meditation. Not only is it easy to do and can be accomplished in as little as five minutes, but it’s practically free. It also positively influences our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health, while leaving the soul feeling relaxed and able to breath. This is exactly what we’ve set out to achieve!

I know, I know, you’re already breathing. You don’t need meditation to help you do that. It’s a biological process that the body just does on its own without thinking or being told to do. But what if the benefits of meditation outweighed the con’s of doing it?

Meditation helps the body become less anxious and more relaxed. If you’re like me and you’re constantly moving through a fast-paced environment (or if you’re not), meditation helps you to become more patient and at peace with the hustle & bustle. When you’re calm, relaxed, and self-aware, people tend to interact with you differently. Instead of walking around with bags under your eyes, hair pointed out every which way like you’ve been electrocuted, and a grumpy facial expression, others around you find you more welcoming to approach. Meditation helps to improve the interior self so that you can help to improve the exterior world around you. That promotion you’re looking to obtain or that person you’ve been wanting to ask out, will be more of an achievable goal to you because your approach and perspective have shifted.

When it comes to con’s, the only two perspectives I’ve managed to come up with would be that it’s time consuming and someone might have difficulty quieting their mind. The great thing about meditation is that you can do it in as little as five minutes. You don’t have to sit cross legged with your eyes closed for extremely long periods of time to feel the effects and re-center yourself. Plus, if you have kids you might not want to keep your eyes closed for longer than that, so you can make sure your house is still standing!  No matter how long you choose to meditate know that there are different ways, styles, perspectives, and positions on how to do it. Do a little research and see what techniques work for you.

When it comes to quieting the mind, I admit this is something I struggle with sometimes too. It’s a constant internal debate between the number of things I have to get done vs. the few moments of peace that I owe myself.  And thinking about all that while my eyes are closed, trying to meditate, makes it even more frustrating sometimes. But I find that when I listen to relaxing and New Age music, I am able to turn my mind off and space out better.  When I’m ready to come back to my surroundings, the world around me seems to move slower and peacefully. Although I am not endorsed by this artist or receive any monetary benefit by promoting him, ‘Deuter’ has several CD’s that have made meditation easier for me. The album ‘Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing’ is simply my favorite, as all the tracks on the CD are amazing. If you have a few minutes check them out on YouTube to see what I’m talking about.

If you want to meditate to music, it’s important to find what music works best for you. Not every artist is the same so try out a few artists to see what you like better. Pandora Radio also has several music stations to choose from if you’re looking for an array of songs and artists to listen to. But if you’re someone who prefers complete silence as other noise might distract you, then I encourage you to find a quiet comfortable place, away from family, friends, and pets so that you won’t be disturbed. It might be easier to find your Zen knowing that you won’t be interrupted.

As with anything else, some things take time. Meditation is one of those things. Try it a FEW times to see whether or not it works for you. If you find out it’s not your thing. Then it’s okay, it’s not your thing. Just find something to help alleviate your stress. Self-care & preservation is important to your well-being.

Until then, burn some incense, light some candles, close your eyes and see where your spirit takes you!

With Light & Love ♥